The invention relates to a sport footwear construction and more particularly, to a skate boot construction for ice skates or in-line roller skates. The footwear construction is also adapted for hiking boots or sports shoes such as soccer, football, baseball and golf shoes or regular walking shoes.
Traditionally, shoes, boots and skate boots are fabricated by stitching and gluing various layers of fabric, textile or leather material together over a last which is a three-dimensional shape of the inside walls of the desired form of boot or shoe. The rigidity and flexibility characteristics of the footwear are achieved by interposing various layers of materials having suitable mechanical properties in specific regions of the footwear. Often rigid plastic components are added to the construction to increase the strength and support of the footwear in specific areas. The footwear is usually completed with an outsole nailed, tacked or glued to the assembly of components and a cushioning insole positioned inside. For skates, a ground engaging supporting element such as an ice runner holder or an in-line roller chassis is mounted to the outsole to complete the product.
This type of construction is extensively used in the shoemaking industry. It generates a good product but has many disadvantages. For instance, the number of individual parts involved in high quality footwear can be staggering; a conventional ice skate for hockey may have some eighty parts to be assembled and shaped over the last. The considerable number of elements to be assembled entails an increased risk of errors during assembly, particularly in the alignment of the various elements. Furthermore, the assembly of various parts inevitably leads to undesirable variations of shape and volume of the footwear. For instance, seemingly identical size #9 footwear may have width variations which render many units uncomfortable to wear for some people. A consumer should technically try on different pairs of the same size to find a pair which best fits his or her feet. Also, in this type of construction, material is folded underneath the insole which necessarily implies an accumulation of material between the insole and the outsole thereby creating variations of the distance between the outsole and the pre-assembled upper.
Footwear so constructed will sometime exhibit poor form fitting of the foot because of the variations of the internal volume of the footwear resulting from variation of assembly inherent in this manufacturing process. Furthermore, because of those same variations of manufacturing, the rigid supporting components added to the footwear structure may not be properly positioned or oriented inside the footwear. A small variation of the position or orientation of the rigid components may render a footwear uncomfortable and provide inadequate support of the foot for the sporting activity it is designed for.
In an effort to reduce the number of components and to reduce variations of shape, volume, and support in the footwear construction, sports footwear have increasingly been made of a plastic molded shell and sometimes of a combination of rigid plastic with softer fabric components. U.S. Pat. No. 4,777,741 to Laurence discloses an article of footwear such as a shoe or skate, which comprises a molded outer shell and a semi-rigid molded tongue portion to close the footwear. This solution reduces the number of components but does not provide localized support of the foot as is required for optimal performance. The molded outer shell provides rigid support to the foot and ankle, however does not take into account the variation of support required for the specific sporting activity. U.S. Pat. No. 4,509,276 to Bourque discloses a skate boot made of a lower exterior molded rigid plastic portion and intermediate and upper portions made of pliable material to allow forward flexure and torsional flexibility in the ankle area. This construction again offers a rigid outer shell, which provides rigid support to the foot only and a softer more flexible support for the ankle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,339,544 to Alberto discloses a footwear comprising a first component made of a single piece of molded synthetic material having a rear upper portion which extend from an insole, and a second component made of soft material having a front upper portion and a lining. The two components are connected together with the lining of the second component inserted inside the rear portion of the first component. This provides a two-piece rigid plastic outer shell construction having a limited amount of components. However, the foot support provided is randomly applied and arbitrarily separated in the middle of the foot.
Large plastic inserts have been designed to improve the general as well as the localized foot support. U.S. Pat. No. 3,807,062 to Spier discloses a boot having an inner molded shell formed of a rigid material for providing rigidity at selected locations such as the sole and toe area of the foot; and the heel and ankle portion of the foot; and an outer shell which is molded about the inner shell. The outer shell is made of a dissimilar plastic material having generally flexible and abrasion-resistant characteristics to provide flexibility at selected locations and also to provide an exterior surface capable of resisting surface wear and abrasion. The boot is thus reinforced at selected area while other areas are more flexible. Inserting a molded inner shell into a molded outer shell thus reduces the number of components. The boot is reinforced but does not provide adequate support of the foot. The boot is also left with an appearance which may not be appealing to consumer.
These designs effectively reduce the number of components utilized in the construction of footwear or skate. They also provide localized reinforcement to the footwear for increased performance. However, variations of the end shape and of the inner volume of the footwear remain. The foot support provided is often less than adequate for optimal performance. Finally, the appearance of some of these designs is not appealing.
Thus there is a need in the industry for a footwear construction having controlled end shape and volume of the footwear, which utilizes fewer components, provides optimal foot support for increased performance and has an exterior look which may be made more appealing to the consumer.
It is thus an object of the invention to provide a sport footwear construction made of fewer components than the traditional sport footwear.
It is another object of the invention to provide a sport footwear construction having improved overall foot support.
It is another object of the invention to provide a sport footwear construction that controls the end shape and inner volume of the footwear.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a sport footwear having an appealing look.
It is another object of the invention to provide a sport footwear construction that is cost effective to manufacture.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a sport footwear construction, which enable automation of the manufacturing process.
As embodied and broadly described herein, the invention provides a footwear comprising a shell for supporting and at least partially enclosing a wearer""s foot. The shell has an inner side, an outer side, a sole portion covering the bottom area of the wearer""s foot, lateral and medial quarters projecting upwardly from each side of the sole portion and a heel counter surrounding the back of the wearer""s foot and linking the lateral and medial quarters together. The footwear further comprises an outer skin like covering affixed to the outer side of the shell; a frontal toe portion substantially covering the toe area of the wearer; a tongue covering the upper frontal area of the footwear; and a ground engaging supporting element mounted to the bottom of the shell.
Advantageously the footwear further comprising a footbed cushioning the sole portion and a lower inner portion of each side of the shell. The shell may further comprises an ankle counter located above said heel counter which surrounds the sides and back of the wearer""s ankle and is shaped to overlie the wearer""s malleoli. Preferably, the footwear further comprises a lining extending along an inside surface of said ankle counter. As a variant, the shell further comprises a tendon guard rising above the ankle counter and the lateral and medial quarters. The shell is shaped to generally conform to the anatomical contour of a human foot and ankle. The shell may further comprises a stiffening member defining the sole, the ankle counter and a portion of the heel counter which links the ankle counter and the sole together to form a continuous stiffening member.
As embodied and broadly described herein, the invention provides an ice skate comprising a shell for supporting and at least partially enclosing a wearers foot. The shell has an inner side, an outer side, a sole portion covering the bottom area of the wearer""s foot, lateral and medial quarters projecting upwardly from each side of the sole portion, a heel counter and an ankle counter surrounding the back of the wearer""s foot and linking the lateral and medial quarters together and a tendon guard located above the ankle counter. The ice skate further comprises an outer skin like covering affixed to the outer side of the shell, a frontal toe portion substantially covering the toe area of the wearer, a tongue covering the upper frontal area of the skate; and an ice runner holder and ice runner assembly mounted to the bottom of the shell.
Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent by reference to the following description and the drawings.